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Jemuel
Archmage Jemuel is a powerful black mage who is the leader of the Magicracy of Alent in Libaterra in the Third Age. He has a dark and troubled past but he is nevertheless a charismatic and intelligent individual who wishes to better humanity in any way possible even though his methods tend to be pragmatic and ruthless. Biography Early Years Little is known from Jemuel's past before he became a mage in King Unne's court in the Kingdom of Cardia. It is assumed he was a native Cardian who graduated from the capital's mage academy, but no records of his family have survived for scholars to study. First Age While serving in King Unne's court, Jemuel eventually grew power hungry and began desiring the throne for himself. He devised a clever plot to assassinate the king and put the blame on others by luring the king to the village of Onrac. Once his plot had succeeded, he had himself named regent of the kingdom. However, his fellow councilman Raistlin I eventually discovered that Jemuel had actually been the mastermind behind Unne's death, and Raistlin formed the Grand Alliance to oppose Jemuel in a conflict known as the Cardian War. Jemuel's reign of terror came to an end when he was defeated by Raistlin I and Britton Leonhart who succeeded him as the co-rulers of Cardia. Jemuel's spirit entered the Land of the Dead but his hatred for Raistlin for denying him his dream kept him sane through millennia of horror and torture that he endured with other spirits. Third Age Distreyd Era Rebirth In the Third Age, High Cleric Distreyd Thanadar XII of the Clergy of Mardük saw potential in resurrecting Jemuel who had been one of the most powerful mages who had ever lived. Distreyd hoped that a mage of Jemuel's caliber would finally give him the means to conquer the impenetrable Magestar, one of the last vestiges in Aison that still defied him, and find knowledge in the mage school that could make him immortal. He ordered the cleric Dante Albrigant to begin cloning experiments in Remon. Dante eventually succeeded in creating clones of Jemuel, but none of the first three successful clones had the original Jemuel's power. However, the fourth successive clone turned out to have Jemuel's powers but seemingly none of his memories and ambition. Dante was thrilled by this and immediately took the reborn Jemuel, whom he named Apprentice, to Vulpengaard Keep where Distreyd XII himself tested the clone's magic and found him suitable. Jemuel and Dante returned to Remon just as the Great War began. They ended up trapped in Dante's tower while the army of the Grand Alliance was closing in during its campaign to liberate Remon from Distreyd's and Shogun Masamori Hyuga's forces. It was around this time that Jemuel finally regained his memories. Jemuel was not aware of it yet, but a lich named Drishnek had actually been the one who had brought his spirit back to the Land of the Living and who had helped him regain his memories while he was sleeping. Drishnek did not reveal himself yet but guided Jemuel through telepathy, and Jemuel, goaded by these visions, decided to finally end his servitude. He approached Dante and killed him in cold blood. New Alliances Jemuel assumed Dante's identity in order to keep Dante's forces in line, and he single-handedly defeated a large attack force from the Alliance by casting a devastating spell during the Battle of Fragnar. This drained some of his powers but bought him more time to plan his next move. He met two clerics of Mardük who were on the run from Kareth d'Zarnagon's forces, and he immediately noticed great potential in those two men who were called Omaroch d'Zarnagon and Richelieu. When Omaroch revealed that he was a demon in disguise, it did not surprise Jemuel who eagerly accepted such a powerful ally. The three left Remon behind soon after but not before Jemuel instructed his three clones to finish a few missions for him. Jemuel used this both to begin his grand plan and to get rid of the three clones whom he saw as mockeries of himself. It was at this time that Drishnek appeared to Jemuel and his companions, and Jemuel accepted the lich into the group with a bit of help from the Dread Garlic of Mind Control although his companions were not sure what to think of Drishnek. Jemuel and his companions arrived at Libaterra after the Reactor Core Explosion. Everything had gone exactly as Drishnek had told Jemuel: the clones had led the Grand Alliance into the reactor core beneath Lutherin and not only the recharge of the Cricket Ball of Magic had weakened Distreyd's magic but had also forced the Alliance to flee and made Libaterrans hate the Alliance for causing the explosion which had killed thousands. Jemuel gathered a sizable group of mages from different mages, including Omaroch's demon followers who included Jahi Gallu, and managed to prevent a bigger catastrophe from occuring by protecting the outskirts of Lutherin from the explosion and the resulting fallout and also defended the Libaterran Heartlands from the attacks of the Faerfolc. Jemuel graadually gained many Libaterrans' trust and let him fully access what remained of Lutherin which he renamed Alent because of the old ruins that were what was left of an ancient nation that had existed in the First Age. The Magicracy of Alent had taken its first steps. Jemuel rewarded several of the people who had sided with him and gave Jahi and her demonic followers and children a place to live away from other demons, granting them the Threshold district in this new city which was named Alent. After making sure his forces would build Alent on the ruins of Lutherin, Jemuel took a small group of trusted mages with him and teleported to Vulpengaard Keep. Distreyd, who was still weak after the shattering of the shards of Krystallopyr in the reactor core explosion, was easily slain. Jemuel and his mages looted Vulpengaard of anything that was deemed valuable. It took a few days before the Clergy of Mardük figured out what had happened, but Jemuel had already travelled back to Libaterra by then, and the Grand Alliance was fighting in Yamato, so the clergy could do nothing but face the inevitable end in the war against the Alliance. The Cataclysm ended the Great War, and Jemuel and his people protected Alent from the invading demon scouting parties and human marauders. Luckily the number of demons invading Libaterra at the time was small and most of them died in the southern Tronin Desert, so Jemuel could continue building Alent on top of the ruined Lutherin. This took most of his time, and Drishnek's hold of him grew stronger over the following years as the lich began advancing the plans of Death with Jemuel as the underworld's champion. Godslayer Era Breaking the Chains In 1017 AE, Jemuel received word from Drishnek that a group of travellers had appeared in Alent's territory and that one of the people was none other than Leon Alcibiates, a famous hero of the Alliance. The meeting turned out awkward when the animosity between Leon and Drishnek became more apparent, especially after Leon recognized Drishnek from the past. Jemuel became more suspicious of the intents of Leon and the travellers although he did consider a possible alliance between Alent and Maar Sul. He ordered Leon's group to stay in the city for a few days before a decision would be made about the alliance. Richelieu wished to speak with Jemuel when the Maar Sulais travellers had left, but Drishnek's hostility and Jemuel's reluctance made him storm out of the throne room. Jemuel consulted Drishnek who began manipulating him even more fiercely, and Jemuel's will was bent to carry out Drishnek's plan to assassinate anyone who would oppose them and raise them as undead servants. Jemuel and Drishnek began preparing for an unholy ritual for the following night. Once the ritual was complete, they would finally plunge the world unto death, raise an undead army and conquer Libaterra and eventually the world. As night fell, Richelieu and a group of dark knights appeared in the throne room of Alent to interrupt the ritual. Drishnek and Jemuel concluded that their defiant act was treasonous, and Jemuel mocked Richelieu for challenging his power. However, Richelieu used power from the Beacon of Alent to trap himself and Jemuel in stasis. While the two mages were frozen, the dark knights transformed into paladins and seemingly defeated Drishnek. When the stasis field fell, Jemuel was confused, and Richelieu explained that he had never wanted to oppose Jemuel; in fact, he had noticed that Drishnek had been influencing Jemuel, and he wanted to get rid of the lich to free Jemuel's mind. Jemuel was still hesitant, but he began to see the truth behind Richelieu's words. All of a sudden, Drishnek rose up and tried to attack Richelieu. One of the paladins, Seth, threw himself in front of the shadow bolt and got injured in the process. Drishnek looked more vicious than before as he urged Jemuel to finish the job and deliver the world unto death. Drishnek also had a slip of the tongue which made Jemuel realize that Drishnek had brought him back from the dead to be the champion of the Underworld. The lich stated angrily that Jemuel was nothing but his slave and ordered him to attack Richelieu and the others. However, Jemuel defied Drishnek for the first time in his reborn life. He explained that although he might have originally been evil, his spirit had assimilated memories and personality from his host body which belonged to a clone, and thus he was not the same Jemuel who had once terrorized people. He said that he had become the ruler of Alent and would not betray those who trusted and relied on him and that he would defeat Drishnek and free Alent from the shackles of the Underworld forever. Drishnek was furious about Jemuel's betrayal and was about to attack, but he backed away all of a sudden as if he had been given new orders and fled before the paladins could finish him off. Jemuel instantly suffered from a psychic backlash as the spirits of the Underworld cursed him for betraying their trust. Jemuel was visibly shaken but managed to suggest that the paladins go find Leon Alcibiates who Drishnek hated above anyone else. He assumed that the lich would at least try to kill Leon now that his plan had been foiled. As the paladins hurried after Drishnek, Richelieu took Jemuel to his tower where he could rest and recover. Planning Ahead Jemuel appeared to the people of Alent the following morning. He was still weak after the battle but he was adamant in his rousing speech about Alent's future when he introduced the Imperator, the first airship in millennia, to the cheering crowd. He contacted his closest aides, including Richelieu, after the speech and ordered them to proceed with his plans for taking down both the Crimson Coalition and the demons of Yamato. Jemuel was not sure if he could form an alliance with Maar Sul anymore after Drishnek's brutal attack, and he prepared himself to also face the wrath of the Grand Alliance just in case things turned worse. More info later. A Reborn Man Jemuel was freed from his long sleep in stasis within the Beacon of Alent when Harrad U'niviel and Zeranafska used the mystic stone they had brought from Khrima to temporarily disrupt the Beacon's magic. The confused Jemuel immediately demanded an explanation of how he had been freed and what had been going on in Alent in his absence. Harrad delivered the report although he left out the bit about the stone and kept the stone hidden because he reasoned the stone would be too dangerous in Jemuel's hands. More info later. Aliases and Nicknames ; Archmage : His title. ; Jemuel the Wise : Used by the people of Alent. ; Lord of Alent : Used by the people of Alent. ; Magistrate of Alent : Used by the people of Alent. Appearance Jemuel looks like he is in his 30s, although the spirit that occupies his body is much, much older. He has dark, greying hair which is growing long, and his face looks somewhat sick and tired. He wears a golden tiara on his head to signify his status as the Archmage of Alent. Personality and Traits Jemuel was originally a very cruel and manipulative person who treated everyone like dirt. He was quiet and observant. When he spoke it was usually very sarcastic and rude. He could pretend to be nice when it suited his purpose. Jemuel was well educated and intelligent, and sounded like it when he spoke. He was a good actor, and could disguise his emotions well. He hated everyone, especially those weaker than himself. However, when he was reborn into a clone body millennia later, it turned out that his spirit assimilated the memories of the clone before the memory of his past life returned. This did not have much impact on him at first, because the influence from Dante and Drishnek kept Jemuel as sadistic as before. However, when Drishnek's hold of Jemuel was finally over, Jemuel stood up to the ideals he had seen his companions fight for, and his personality turned into a well-intentioned extremist who wished to end the tyranny of the gods and let mortal races choose their own destiny. However, some traits of his former, ruthless personality surface occasionally as he'll stop at nothing to realize his vision. Jemuel has a very short temper. Many times he can hide it, but he can occasionally explode in rage. However, he never shows his anger to his enemies, only to those weaker than him, to intimidate them. Jemuel doesn't necessarily like killing people (much), but he has no problem with it either. He hates a fair fight, seeing honour as a weakness, and instead values pragmatism. He has no problem killing those much weaker than himself, or using dirty tactics to win. He is a survivalist at heart although he only uses violence once diplomatic alternatives have failed. Powers and Abilities Jemuel is one of the most powerful black mages alive, which is why many people often refer to him as archmage. However, his body was weakened after a psychic backlash which was caused by his rejection of the Land of the Dead, so he does not cast destructive spells unless absolutely necessary. He still needs to recover before he can continue using his full powers. Relationships Dante Albrigant Jemuel acted as an obedient servant of Dante until he got back his memories and ambition. He immediately began planning his next move and murdered Dante in cold blood. Dante had not thought of Jemuel as a person but merely as a weapon, and this mindset turned out to be his undoing as Jemuel unleashed his powers. Drishnek Drishnek acted as Jemuel's advisor, but in fact he was only using Jemuel for creating the army of the dead which could then attack every living being in the world. Jemuel was under heavy Mind Control, but he was released from it by Richelieu. When Jemuel regained his pride and mind, he defied Drishnek. The lich would have killed Jemuel on the spot, but his powers were drained. Jemuel was both shocked and enraged when he realized what Drishnek had been doing, and he would spend a long time fixing the damages Drishnek's machinations had caused. Harrad U'niviel Jemuel and Harrad respect each other, but both have kept crucial information from the other for their own reasons. Jemuel sees Harrad as perhaps being too idealistic yet listens to his opinions whereas Harrad sees good in Jemuel but still can't fully trust him in fear of him becoming corrupt again like what had happened with Drishnek in the past. Jahi Gallu Jemuel and Jahi have a rather tense relationship based on both frustration and respect. Jemuel does acknowledge that Jahi and her posse helped found Alent as it is today, but he nevertheless can't forget the treachery of demons and how unpredictable they can be even if Omaroch has set an example. Jemuel is constantly trying to make Jahi compromise for the greater good, and although initially Jahi was willing to listen to him, over time her views have begun to change and she sees servitude to Jemuel as too heavy a burden for her or her children to bear, Omaroch d'Zarnagon Omaroch became acquainted with Jemuel as per Mardük's orders after Distreyd Thanadar XII had betrayed Mardük's trust. Jemuel was originally using Omaroch for his own ends but after the Cataclysm Jemuel began to respect Omaroch's loyalty, and he was one of the few who knew Omaroch's involvement in the birth of the Godslayer. Things turned more sour when Drishnek began manipulating Jemuel, but after Drishnek's defeat Jemuel regained his senses and rekindled his friendship with Omaroch whom he now sees as one of his closest companions. Raistlin I Jemuel despised Raistlin I who he considered a pathetic mage, and the feeling was mutual. The two had a fierce duel when Jemuel was revealed to be the killer of Unne, and eventually Raistlin managed to defeat Jemuel who died of his wounds. Jemuel's hatred for Raistlin was one of the things that kept his consciousness in one piece in the afterlife, and it eventually helped his spirit invade the clone body. Richelieu The relationship between Jemuel and Richelieu has been a rocky one. They worked together well in their early years, but Drishnek's manipulation made Jemuel more paranoid, which in turn made Richelieu more cautious. Although Jemuel began suspecting that Richelieu was plotting a coup, Richelieu respected Jemuel so much that he was willing to sacrifice himself to bring an end to Drishnek's power over Jemuel. Once Drishnek had been dealt with, Jemuel realized the error of his ways, and Jemuel and Richelieu became close allies again. Rune Jemuel despised all of the clones who he saw as mockeries of himself, but the one he could not get along with at all was Rune who resembled him the most. He sent Rune on dangerous missions, and Rune always came back although he was not happy about the way Jemuel treated him. Jemuel eventually figured out that Rune was plotting to kill him and take his place, and he ordered Rune to lead the Grand Alliance to the Libaterran reactor core. Rune has not been seen since, and Jemuel assumes that Rune is dead. Unne Jemuel worked for King Unne of Cardia but had him murdered in secret and then crowned himself the new regent of the nation. It was the only way Jemuel could get his hands on the crown, and he saw Unne as a mere obstacle. See also *Cardian War *Clones of Jemuel *Council of Mages *Dante Albrigant *Drishnek *Magicracy of Alent *Raistlin I *Undead *Unne Category:Cardia Category:Characters Category:Clergy of Mardük Category:Council of Mages Category:First Age Category:Humans Category:Libaterra Category:Magicracy of Alent Category:Third Age Category:Undead